


the six arts of the lover-prince

by shiftseveny



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Courtship, Implied Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-02 20:56:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21167744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiftseveny/pseuds/shiftseveny
Summary: The battle is done, the villain defeated, the world saved, and Judar and Hakuryuu are happily in love. It's definitely not the ending they envisioned, but it's what they've got, and it's better than they could have hoped in nearly every way. Hakuryuu couldn't ask for more, except......he still hasn't taken Judar out on a date?!





	the six arts of the lover-prince

It was just by chance, honestly. It was just by chance that Hakuryuu overheard a maid in the palace complaining that her favorite spot for, ahem, _ illicit rendezvous _ with her military lover had been destroyed in the battle for their world. Hearing her lament the loss of those future trysts made him flush with... well, _ guilt,_ of all things. He and Judar were lovers now, certainly, but long before that Judar had often pestered him about going with him to visit this or that market, avenue, theater - the list went on and on. Of course, he'd always refused, which was what brought him to the current point.

Despite how close they were now, despite all the trials that they'd been through together, despite his royal upbringing and rigorous education, Hakuryuu wasn't much of a gentleman with Judar. He wasn't much of a proper lover at all. If Hakuei's future husband treated her the way he treated Judar, he'd probably call for the man's head. Not to say that Judar and Hakuei were on the same level, of course. He had made it excruciatingly clear that for whatever reason, he enjoyed things that… that Hakuryuu wouldn't repeat in polite company. 

But that wasn't the point.

The point was that Hakuryuu hadn't followed any of the etiquette for courting - not even the base courtesies expected of a scholar, never mind the intricate rituals expected of a noble, of a _prince_. If his tutors could see him now, they'd be reaching for their canes in a heartbeat. No matter how low the bar was set he still couldn't pass it, not when he had yet to take Judar on a single date.

Obviously, that needed fixing.

"Huh? Why d'you wanna go around Rakushou? We've both seen it all already, right?"

...he had a point, but Judar usually didn't turn down a chance to pull him away from his work. Maybe it was his imagination, but Judar didn't seem keen on making this easy for him.

"Balbadd? It's so _humid_ there, though. Maybe in the winter or something. Unless… hey, Hakuryuu, you wanna sneak out tonight?"

(They did not end up sneaking out that night, or any other night after. Hakuryuu was aware that he was behaving like a scoundrel again instead of a _ proper gentleman _ , but Judar had been playing with his shawl while he talked, and tossed him a look so brazen it would make a Sindrian dancer blush. So. So he could be excused for _ disregarding propriety._)

"Kina? You were there for a long time with chibi and that mutt, huh... what, you didn't get enough of it already?!"

He was upset?! 

Well, it made sense, once Hakuryuu stopped to think about it. Judar liked to throw his hatred around, and there wasn't really anyone to blame for them missing each other by such a narrow window, so an entire nation would have to work as a sticking point... or something like that. He could guess what Judar was thinking most of the time, was fairly accurate even - certainly more than anyone else had ever been, or could ever be - but. Still. It was difficult to be certain.

Just in case it upset Judar more than he was letting on, Hakuryuu apologized for bringing it up later that night. Not with his mouth, of course. There were other ways to appease Judar and make sure he knew Hakuryuu felt contrite.

Maybe… maybe another lover would have appreciated words, but it was Judar. He certainly didn't mind. Really, he _ enjoyed _ it. He enjoyed it a lot, actually. 

(It was hard not to feel smug about that, but he couldn't allow himself to grow self-satisfied and complacent. His work wasn't done just yet.)

"Sindria... I mean, it used to be really fun whenever I snuck in there, but... wouldn't it be a lot of trou... ah, whatever, I'm sure you've figured it out. Maybe later, though?"

...right, there was something about Parthevia that had upset Judar during that final battle. He'd have to get to the bottom of that soon; they were king and magi, regardless of their titles or powers, and it would not do for him to know so little about something that troubled his magi.

"My village... yeah, it's about that time of year, isn't it."

Time passed. Weeks, then months, then the turning of the seasons. They kissed each other, held each other. They bathed in the same pool, lived in the same rooms, slept in the same bed. Judar's clothes were folded neatly next to his in their wardrobe, though certainly not of his own volition (or, more often than not, even by his own hands).

Time passed, and Hakuryuu still hadn't taken Judar out on that date.

He was aware that he should have been aiming higher. He was a prince, after all. But years of poetry failed him when he looked at Judar's sleeping face in the dim candlelight, and his instruments had sat gathering dust since long before their alliance. Besides, Judar probably wouldn't sit still long enough to hear him play anyways, even if Hakuryuu could decide on a song worthy of being played for his ears. The treasury was available to him, Kougyoku had made that more than clear, but what did you gift to a man who had once raised otherworldly dungeons with a flick of a wrist?

"Thinking too loud," Judar muttered sleepily, rolling over and throwing an arm over Hakuryuu's shoulder. His sleeve - the sleeve of one of Hakuryuu's robes, he was wearing one of Hakuryuu's robes - flapped awkwardly and Hakuryuu had to push it out of his face while Judar petted awkwardly at his hair.

"I thought you couldn't hear the rukh anymore," Hakuryuu said, watching the way Judar's eyelashes fluttered as he blinked, closer to being asleep than not.

"'Course I can't," Judar replied, pressing closer and pushing their noses together for a short moment. "Can hear _you,_ though."

"...of course," Hakuryuu said. "Of course you can."

Judar was already asleep again, content and unbothered by his side. It'd be easy to slip into a dream by his side, but. 

Hakuryuu smiled as he rose. He touched his fingertips to Judar's cheek, and couldn't resist trailing his fingers up and carding them through his hair. Judar mumbled under his breath and nuzzled into his palm.

It was tempting - sorely tempting - to climb back into bed with him, but.

Hakuryuu still had a date to plan, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> in ancient china, the six arts of the junzi (literal: lord's son/nonliteral: gentleman scholar) were rituals, music, archery, horseriding, poetry/literature, and mathematics. proficiency was required of all government officials, never mind /actual/ princes.
> 
> courtship wasn't really a thing because arranged marriages were the norm, but any premarriage shenanigans involved a lot of gift exchanges. hakuryuu and judar, however, both seem the type to appreciate deeds more than presents.


End file.
